As the nights grow longer and a chill permeates the air, we begin to settle in to our homes and warm blankets more and more. I absolutely love this time of year. When stringing lights from every rooftop and tree isn’t extravagant, it’s welcomed and sometimes expected. When drinks turn hot and warm us up from head to foot. And there’s a magic that can’t quite be described. It’s also the perfect time to offer Winter Solstice Blessings. Here we provide you with a few of our favorites. In addition, a few simple and beautiful Yule spells and divination methods perfect for the Winter holiday season.
No matter your beliefs or the individual’s beliefs, it’s never a bad thing to wish Winter Solstice blessings on someone. Especially during the holiday season. I’ve never once had a problem with someone wishing me peace and happiness over the Winter. Truly, it’s through the Winter that most people struggle with depression and loneliness, so wishing blessings on our loved ones can only serve to uplift their spirits.
“Joyfully bring out the holly and ivy, Feast with the Holly King.
Kiss under the mistletoe, Oh what will this Yuletide bring?
Peace and prosperity ever-flowing.” ~ Otherworldly Oracle
“Dress the Yule tree, light the hearthfire, invoke the Ancestors.
May you be blessed with all you desire this Winter Solstice.” ~ Otherworldly Oracle
“May this Winter Solstice season bring you peace, love and relaxation.
We wish you a good book to read, a blanket to keep you warm,
a hot drink in your cup and friends with whom to weather any storm.”
~ Otherworldly Oracle
When Yule or Winter Solstice comes around, we see specific themes popping up in our lives and in our magical practice. As witches and pagans, we flow with the changes all around us in nature. And many of us tend to feel those changes VERY intimately. Some of those themes you could consider working into your Yule spells include darkness and shadow work, death and rebirth, moon magic (since the nights are longer up until the day after the Solstice when they grow shorter again), sun magic (since we are encouraging the sun’s return), fire magic, feasting and abundance, divination, and dreams.
To our Northern European and Germanic ancestors, Yule is as Samhain is to the Celts. Meaning the ancestors, gods, and spirits were thought to be ever-present during the Winter season. So, just as you can be visited by unwanted spirits at Samhain, so too can you be confronted by the dead during the Winter Solstice (and truly the whole Winter season). A Yule spell for protection may be necessary. Try our witch’s ball below.
Yule and Winter Solstice is truly the season of abundance. Unfortunately, many of us end up spending more than we truly have and so sometimes a Yule spell for prosperity is helpful. I’ve found my prosperity often comes from being thankful, so here I provide you with a simmer pot spell I’ve used with good results.
I’m an introvert, and I’d venture to say most of the witches I know personally also have introverted personalities. This means we crave the quiet. We need alone time in order to recharge our batteries. Too many people around all of the time scatters our energy. And we all know how crazy Yule can be with visitors, parties, feasts, etc. So if you need some peace and quiet, here’s our cozy Tea Spell for a serene Solstice.
Whether you live in a place where there’s snow or a tropical climate with palm trees and sand, the Winter Solstice gives us a time to intimately connect with the Winter Yule spirits. And how do we do that? Through divination, of course. We recommend divining in a way that you feel most comfortable, but around the sabbats trying out sabbat-themed divination tools and practices. Like incorporating snow or ice into your ritual.
Divination by snow is called nivimancy and divination by ice is cryomancy. There’s different ways to do this. First, if you live in a place where you get snow, simply watching the snowflakes falling and allowing your mind to clear. Then letting images, words, numbers, symbols pop into your mind. If you can go out in the snow, watch the flakes and notice their patterns, how the wind blows them, etc. Ask the Winter gods, ancestors, and spirits to give you messages through the snow.
If you don’t live in a place with snow, I recommend the shaved ice method. You can purchase a shaved ice machine (sno cone machine, as they’re sometimes called). Or purchase shaved ice, then allow the ice to melt and read the shape, size, etc. of the puddle made. In addition, you can gaze into the puddle and water scry. I feel the Winter spirits enjoy sending messages through the elements which includes snow, ice, mist and hail.
One of my favorite things to do on the holidays is bake bread. Not only can you make your loaf of bread into a spell for prosperity, health, etc. BUT you can also read the patterns in the flour on the counter. Some folks even enjoy putting little charms inside the bread (don’t feed to little kids and warn folks that there’s charms inside!) while others determine readings based on who takes the largest slice, what crumbs are left on their plates and more. Reading patterns in flour and bread is called aleuromancy.
This is a technique I’ve used year after year and it almost always turns out to be scary on-point. For each of the 12 days of Yule, you’ll record any omens or signs from that day. Each of those 12 days’ omens/signs are your reading for the next 12 months in the coming year. I honestly picked this up off another witchcraft website a few years ago and can’t remember who made the suggestion. So if it was you, let me know so I can credit you.
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